FRIDAY FARE: Balsamic Lean and Green Chicken Salad

Here's a Lean and Green meal (high protein, low carb) that I made last night...

Balsamic Chicken Salad

1 6 oz chicken breast (6 oz. after cooking)
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic powder
Cracked pepper
Salt
1 Cup Leafy Green Lettuce (or any kind of greens you like - spinach, iceberg, romaine - or even a combination of them), chopped.
1 cup of your favorite veggies - I used tomato and cucumber, chopped
Paul Newman's Light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing (this is very low in carbs - 2 Tbls have just 2 carbs.)

Marinate chicken breast in balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, pepper, and just a tiny sprinkle of salt. Grill. (I used my George Forman grill, since my BBQ grill is put away for the summer). Chop into small pieces after cooked.

In a big bowl, combine chopped veggies, chopped chicken, and dressing. Toss.

Mmmmm! This was SO good!

FRIDAY FARE: Bento Box Lunch

I've been thinking about lunches lately, because it's back-to-school time. For those of you who want to pack a healthy lunch for your kids, or yourself, here is a fun recipe:

Egg Salad Bento Lunch
(found at Eatingwell.com)

This egg salad bento box is a hearty lunch and snack all in one. Spoon the egg salad into a lettuce “bowl” to keep it looking pretty and enjoy with cocktail bread and veggies. Toss banana and blueberries with yogurt to keep the bananas from turning brown. Save the chocolate chips and pistachios for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Ingredients

2 hard-boiled eggs, (see Tip), peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced celery
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced scallion greens
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 leaves Boston or Bibb lettuce
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup banana slices
2 tablespoons nonfat or low-fat vanilla yogurt
2/3 cup broccoli florets, cooked or raw
6 cherry tomatoes
3 slices cocktail-size pumpernickel bread
1 tablespoon shelled unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon bittersweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Mash eggs in a small bowl with a fork. Stir in celery, mayonnaise, mustard, scallion greens and pepper until combined. Line one container with lettuce leaves and fill with the egg salad.
Combine blueberries, banana and yogurt in another container. Arrange broccoli and tomatoes in a third container. Place bread in a fourth container. Nestle a dip-size container in with the bread; fill it with pistachios and chocolate chips.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate egg salad (Step 1) for up to 2 days.

Tip: To hard-boil eggs, place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook at the barest simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out hot water and cover the eggs with cold water. Let stand until cool enough to handle before peeling.

FRIDAY FARE: Super Foods - Kidney Beans

Sorry I've been so neglectful with the blog this week! Yesterday was Friday Fare - and I should have posted another healthy recipe, but I didn't. Oops! So, I'll do it today. For the past 4 weeks, we've been talking about different "Super Foods", and this week is: Kidney Beans. The following information comes from Allrecipes.com...

"There are 112 calories in 1/2 cup of kidney beans.
Benefits: Eating beans four times a week--in baked beans, bean dip, chili, or a salad sprinkled with chickpeas or black beans--could cut your risk of coronary heart disease by 20 to 30 percent. They are rich in LDL-lowering soluble fiber (2 grams in a 1/2-cup serving) and homocysteine-controlling folate, as well as blood pressure-easing potassium and magnesium.

Bonus: Thanks to healthy doses of fiber and protein, beans give you steady energy, not a sudden rise (and fall) of blood sugar that ups your risk of metabolic syndrome and weight gain."

The recipe I chose to share is:

Mexican Bean and Rice Salad
(found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 small onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt to taste

Directions

In a large salad bowl, combine the brown rice, kidney beans, black beans, corn, onion, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, lime zest and juice, cilantro, garlic, and cumin. Lightly toss all ingredients to mix well, and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Refrigerate salad for 1 hour, toss again, and serve.

FRIDAY FARE: Pineapple Chicken Salad Pitas

I saw some chicken salad at Costco the other day. It looked good, but there were a few problems: I could tell just by looking at it that it wasn't a healthy recipe, and there was no fruit mixed in - I love chicken salad with fruit. So, I didn't get it. And, I'm still craving a good, healthy chicken salad. I found the following recipe on Cookinglight.com, and thought it sounded yummy - and a plus... I've got all of the ingredients at home with me. Hope you like it!

Pineapple Chicken Salad Pitas


Ingredients

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
4 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, each cut in half
8 Romaine lettuce leaves

Preparation

Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Line each pita half with 1 lettuce leaf; fill each half with 1/3 cup chicken mixture.

Michele Powers, Cooking Light
MAY 2007

A fun little tidbit: I could never say the word Worcestershire, until I worked at a Dream Dinners with a girl who was from England. She taught me how to say it, and I was surprised at how easy it is: Woo-ste-shir. Easy peezy!

FRIDAY FARE: Turkey and Strawberry Salad

I was at Costco today, and saw their strawberries. YUM! So, I thought I'd find a healthy recipe that uses strawberries and turkey... here ya go!

Turkey-Mixed Greens Salad with Strawberries, Kiwi and Cashews in Honey-Sesame Dressing
(This is from Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller - on FoodNetwork.com)


Oh, my goodness, doesn't that look scrumptious!

Ingredients:

1 (1 1/2-pound) reserved cooked turkey tenderloin, sliced
4 cups mixed greens
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 sliced kiwi
1/2 cup dry-roasted, salted cashews
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey mustard
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions:

Cut turkey into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Arrange the mixed greens on salad plates or large serving platter. Top with turkey, strawberries, kiwi, and cashews.

In a small bowl, whisk together broth, honey, sesame oil, and honey mustard. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour mixture over turkey and spinach salad.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Spinach Salad

Guest blogger, Shannon Stahura:

Another fun summer salad full of vitamins and fresh leafy greens. This one has a familiar base, but its the dressing that really jazzes things up. Give it a try and I guarantee they will ask for seconds.

Salad:

Baby leaf spinach
1 head romain lettuce
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 lb. feta cheese crumbled

Dressing:

2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/3 med red onion
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil

Directions:

Combine in a blender until smooth. This makes more than you will need so just save it for the next salad.

Toss greens with cheese and cranberries. Pour salad dressing on sparingly and taste. Add more as necessary.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Fettuccine Spinach Salad

Guest blogger, Shannon Stahura...

This week's recipe is definitely a keeper. Fettuccine Spinach Salad was served for years at the old Peery Hotel in downtown Salt Lake. One evening the chef shared the recipe with us. I love it because it is unique and its another great way to work in those veggie servings. Enjoy!

Dressing:

2 Tb olive oil
1 Tb cider vinegar
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 part cream to 1 part vinaigrette

Salad:

Baby spinach
2 green onions chopped
1 pkg feta cheese, crumbled
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 can sliced black olives
Ham, julienne sliced
1/2 box fettuccine (cooked)

Directions:

Mix all of salad ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk all of dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss and serve.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Spinach Floret Salad

Guest blogger, Shannon Stahura...

The recipe today comes from a magazine... "Taste of Home Great: American Cookout" July issue. If I did tweak it, I would reduce sugar to 1/2 cup and use canola oil instead of vegetable oil, I would omit radishes, make mushrooms optional and probably change the title to Spinach Salad.

I was really impressed with this recipe, not just because it tastes great, but because it is filled with lots of healthy greens which are always high in vitamin and mineral content.

Spinach Floret Salad

1 bunch of spinach (or bag)

2 cups of chopped iceberg lettuce

2 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups cauliflowerets

1 cup chow mein noodles

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

2 green onions chopped

3 fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 radishes, sliced

Dressing

1 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Toss first 9 ingredients and (bacon optional). Blend all of the dressing ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

FRIDAY FARE: Healthy Recipe - Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

Guest blogger, Shannon Stahura...

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

Your probably thinking... "Oh no! Not another pasta salad." Let me assure you, this one is different. I have been making this salad for thirty years and it is hands down the best, everyone's favorite, never any left over kind of salad. And, of course it is healthy! This salad calls for lots of steamed broccoli, which is full of vitamin A, vitamin C and has a high content of potassium and calcium. I guarantee this is one you will want to add to your recipe book and make again and again.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 bag of multi-colored spiral pasta (wheat is optional)

1 head of broccoli

5 oz. pepperoni diced (optional)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

4 T red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cook chicken in simmering water for 20 min.

2. When cool enough to handle, cut into chunks.

3. Steam broccoli florets until tender (5-7 minutes)

4. Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, pepper and olive oil in a jar with tight-fitting lid. Shake well and set aside.

5. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain and rinse with cold water.

6. Combine chicken, broccoli, pepperoni and pasta in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Sprinkle in feta cheese and serve.